The Legendary Ninja Turtles
by No Guns Only Roses
Summary: In another world, a young orphaned rat named Splinter is adopted by Hamato Yoshi, a respected ninja of the Foot Clan. After his master is killed by an assassin who calls himself the Shredder, Splinter flees his homeworld with Yoshi's children and arrives in our dimension. But are they truly safe from the Shredder's wrath even when they are worlds apart?
1. Chapter 1

**NOTE: There will probably be grammar mistakes that I will fix later. **

_**New York**_

_**Present Day**_

"Just admit it, O'Neil. You like him."

"Irma, why are you so obsessed with this?"

Two senior high schoolers, one girl with shoulder-length red hair named April O'Neil, and another girl named Irma Kirby who wore glasses and her brunette hair in a ponytail, casually walked toward a small pizza parlor on a rainy night. They closed their umbrellas as they stepped inside and took their seats.

"Let's face it," Irma sighed, "in a less than a year, we'll all be graduates, and you know what that means: we'll never see each other again after that."

"Geez, Irma," April mumbled. "That's really depressing."

"But true. So you need to tell Wally how you feel before it's too late."

April looked down gloomily at her menu. "It doesn't matter anyway. Everyone knows that he likes Lashawndra, and why wouldn't he? I mean, she's smart, pretty, rich-"

"Yeah, but compared to her, you have a great personality."

The redhead chuckled softly. "That's not enough, though. I'm just a boring Plain Jane. Nothing exciting ever happens to me."

As soon as she finished her sentence, a loud banging sound caused them both to jump and they turned to see three masked men running into the restaurant with handguns. One of them yelled, "Everyone get down on the floor NOW!" He pointed at the cashier. "Except you!"

The whole restaurant, including April and Irma, wasted no time in down under their tables. One of the gunmen approached the cashier with a gym bag in his other hand while the other two kept watch over the frightened crowd.

"Omigod," Irma whimpered and trembled. "Omigod."

April grabbed her friend's hand. "Shhh, it'll be okay."

The freckled young man behind the counter gulped and raised his hands as the robber pointed the gun in his face. "P-P-Please, man, don't shoot-"

"Shut up!" the robber yelled, then he gestured to the cash register. "You know what to do."

The cashier nodded frantically and opened the drawer, allowing the robber to grab the cash inside and put it all in his bag. For a moment, it was very quiet in the restaurant, save for the noise from all the ceiling TVs. Then April's phone began to ring, catching the attention of the other two gunmen.

April cursed under her breath as she quickly put it on silence. This couldn't have happened at a worse time.

One of then stomped up to her table and pointed his gun at her. "Hey, you'd better not answer that!" he threatened. "Give it here!"

Not wanting to anger the man any further, April slid the phone over to him and he picked it up, putting it in his pocket.

"Hey!"

To her shock, a customer got up from under his table and stood up. He wore a large trenchcoat and a fedora hat that covered most of his face with only his mouth visible. April squinted her green eyes. Did this guy have...green skin?

The third gunman pointed his gun at the stranger. "Get back under the table!" he shouted. "Now!"

The stranger nodded to April. "Not until you give the lady her phone back."

The robber at the counter turned around to see what all the commotion was about. "What's going on?!" he yelled to his pals.

"We've got ourselves a hero!" the third robber said.

The stranger tilted his head. "Me? A hero? No way." He suddenly grabbed the lapels of his coat, revealing his odd three-digit green hands. "Hey, wanna see something cool?"

April blinked, completely dumbfounded. Was this guy being serious?

The gunman's eyes widened and he shook his head. "Whoa-whoa, no, no, no way man. Not here. I mean it! Don't!"

But the stranger opened up his coat and April quickly shielded her eyes.

Then she heard the gunman gasp, "Holy crap...!"

Her curiously got the best of her and she lowered her hands from her face.

The man in the trench coat wasn't a man at all. He wore only a pair of red joggers and a black belt, to which his twin sai were attached. His skin was green and scaly and he had a plastron like a turtle's. His feet were bare and each had only two large toes.

The green stranger flashed a grin at the robber before he kicked the gun out of the latter's hand and then did a spin kick all in a blink of an eye. The criminal fell on his back and before he could even get up, the green man kicked him hard in the face and knocked him out cold.

The second gunman aimed his gun at the vigilante and fired a few times. But the stranger was able to dodge each bullet with his amazing agility and leapt high in the air, grabbing onto one of the fluorescent lights. He swung off of it and kicked the gunman with great force. The robber was sent flying across the room and collided with the wall, leaving a huge dent.

The remaining gunman with the bag full of money made a run for it and almost reached the exit, but the vigilante grabbed him by the collar of his coat and threw him across the room. The gunman crashed into a table and lay on the ground, immobile and groaning. He had dropped the gym bag, which the stranger picked up and set on the counter.

He approached the seemingly unconscious second robber and pulled April's phone out of his pocket. "I'll take that," he said. He then walked over to April's table and knelt down to return her phone to her. "Here's your phone, Miss," he said as he gently placed it in her hand.

April got a closer look at his face and saw a pair of bright green eyes that looked straight into hers. They were...beautiful. And strong. She had never seen such eyes before.

Then she saw a figure creep up behind her savior. It was the second gunman, who had regained consciousness, and he was about to swing a steel pizza pan at the green stranger.

"Look out!" April shouted.

The vigilante swiftly turned but it was too late. He flew backward as the pan hit him in the face with a loud clang. He grunted as he landed on his back, but he quickly got back up and growled at the gunman as he rubbed his now aching cheek. "Oh, you're gonna pay for that."

The robber whimpered and held the pan close to him like a shield.

April quickly pulled up her camera app and hit the record button.

The stranger pulled his fist back and the gunman quickly hid his face behind the pan, but the former punched so hard that the dent he made managed to hit the latter, who fell to the floor, out like a light.

At the sound of police sirens, the green stranger fled the restaurant, but he had unknowingly left a sai behind, which fell out off his belt right after he had been hit with the pan.

"Wait!" April called after him. "You dropped your..."

But he was gone.

She picked up the weapon and studied it in her hands. It wasn't a cheap toy to scare the criminals; it was real. This guy had dangerous ninja weapons on him and he could've killed those thugs. But he chose not to. Who was he? What was he?

"Okay," Irma's shaken voice broke her from her deep thoughts. "Can you believe that just happened?"

April shook her head and tucked the sai in the inner pocket of her own coat. "That was crazy. But I guess anything can happen in New York."

* * *

_**In Another World**_

_**Twenty-four Years Ago**_

A young rat in tattered clothes moaned in pain and held his stomach as it continued to rumble and growl. He sat with the other homeless on the side of the dirt road, begging for scraps or even just one spare coin. The more privileged villagers usually passed by him, ignoring his cries and turning a blind eye to his suffering.

The residents called him "Splinter", but that wasn't the name his mother gave him. In fact, he couldn't remember his own name since his mother passed away when he was four, and as the years passed, he eventually forgot it. But he never forgot her beautiful face, or the sound of her warm, soft voice that made him feel safe. After an illness struck her and took her away from him, he was left to fend for himself, alone and hungry.

He survived for the next seven years by stealing food from the stands in the market, and the merchants nicknamed the thieving rat "Splinter" because he was such a nuisance and a pain. The other homeless didn't show him any kindness neither; on the streets, you competed for food, take what you can, when you can, before others could. They _all_ loathed him and wished that he never existed.

On this particular day, two Turtles passed by them, warriors of the village's Foot Can. One of them was Hamato Yoshi, who wore a simple grey kimono, and the other was Yoshi's rival, Oroku Nagi, who wore a black kimono with red tomoeri.

All of the homeless, including Splinter, immediately recognized who they were and bowed low to the ground in respect. But as the young rat bowed, he noticed that a small bag of money dropped from out of Nagi's kimono. Out of instinct, he swiftly picked it up and started to run in the opposite direction.

He weighed the bag in his hand as he ran. It felt heavy, which meant at least a month's supply of food. But his conscious kept nagging him to return the money since he only swindled food and nothing else, and he stopped running. With a heavy sigh, he turned around and ran back in the direction where the Turtles went.

He caught up to them and gently tugged at Nagi's kimono. "Um, excuse me, sir?" he said in a soft, nervous voice.

Nagi stopped walking and turned around. He looked down at Splinter with his brown eyes, which quickly spotted the bag of money in his hands. They widened in shock before they narrowed in anger, and Splinter's heart started to race as he realized that he was in danger.

"You..." Nagi hissed as he raised his hand, "thieving vermin!" He slapped Splinter across the face so hard that the rat fell to the ground. As Splinter held his now burning cheek, the Turtle unsheathed his sword. "The penalty for stealing from an elite is death!"

Splinter was too petrified to move even as the blade came down.

But then the other Turtle Yoshi grabbed his rival's wrist and stopped him. "Nagi! Stay your hand!"

"Stay out of this, Yoshi!" Nagi growled. "This rodent tried to steal from me!"

Yoshi refused to let go. "He's only a child! Show some mercy and compassion for once!"

With a scowl, Nagi finally relented and sheathed his sword. He shot Splinter a nasty glare as he bent down to pick up his bag and put it back under the tomoeri of his kimono, then he continued on his way.

Yoshi turned to the rat with worry in his bright green eyes. "Are you all right?"

With tears in his brown eyes, Splinter bowed low to the Turtle in gratitude. "Thank you, lord, for saving my life," his voice trembled, "even though I don't deserve it."

He felt a pair of strong hands gently help him onto his feet, but he was too ashamed to look up. He could feel the stares of the other villagers. They must've been astounded to see a member of the Foot elite talking to a street rat.

"I'll bet you're starving, huh?" Yoshi softly asked the child. "Come with me."

Splinter's ears perked up and he finally looked up at his savior surprised.

Yoshi only smiled warmly and wrapped an arm around him. "We'll fill that empty belly up with rice and tea."

...

"Please," Splinter's cheeks flushed from embarrassment as Yoshi continued to wash him in a wooden tub of warm water. "You don't have to do this. You've done more than enough for me." The Turtle had already treated him to a delicious meal, and now he was giving him a bath.

Yoshi chuckled softly as he scrubbed the young rat's back. "It's alright. So where is your mother?"

Splinter's ears flattened in sadness, which said it all.

"I see," Yoshi said softly. "You are an orphan, then?"

The rat nodded.

The Turtle patted him on the head. "As am I. My mother died shortly after my birth, and seven years later, my father was killed in the Rhino Wars."

Splinter glanced back at him, intrigued. "Your father fought in the Rhino Wars?"

Yoshi smiled proudly and nodded. "He was an honorable warrior, one of the best in the history of our clan. He fought with great courage to the very end. I could never be as great as he was." He helped Splinter out of the tub and dried him off with a towl. "So I understand that your name is 'Splinter'? Or at least that's what the villagers call you?"

The rat shook the remaining water off his fur. "Yes, lord."

"Well, Splinter, you can stay here as long as you like."

"Oh, no, lord, I can't-"

"First of all, you may stop addressing me as 'lord'. Secondly, I would love to have some company in my household."

"But...but lor- sir...I-I'm not worthy to stay here."

"Says who? The villagers? From now on, pay no mind to what they say."

"But..."

Yoshi walked over to a table and picked up a small ruby kimono. "Here, put this on," he said as he handed it to Splinter, who reluctantly accepted it. "I wore it as a child, so it should fit you."

Splinter watched as he left the room, then he put on the kimono. It felt wonderful to wear clothes that weren't tattered or dirty. His brown fur was now clean and he felt refreshed, and his stomach was full for the first time in years. His lower lip trembled as his eyes brimmed with tears.

From that day forward, he would be Hamato Yoshi's faithful servant.

* * *

_**New York **_

_**Present Day **_

She replayed the video of her hero over and over again as she lay on her bed later that night. Lying next to her was the sai that he left behind. She didn't even get to thank him for saving her life.

There was a knock on her bedroom door. "April?" a feminine voice spoke softly to her. "Can I come in?"

"Yeah, Mom," she quickly hid the sai under her pillow.

A middle-aged woman with short red hair named Sasha opened the door and walked in. "How are you feeling, honey?"

"I'm fine, Mom," April said as she sat up. "I'm just tired."

"I know," her mother sat down on the bed next to her. "I just got off the phone with Irma's Mom. She's a little shaken up but she's okay. I'm so sorry that you girls went through all that." She then pulled her daughter into a hug. "If anything happened to you..." her voice trailed off as she became emotional.

"Mom," April patted her on the back. "It's okay. You're not gonna lose me like you lost Dad."

Sasha gave her a squeeze before letting go. "I really want to believe that, baby, but after what happened at the pizza parlor..." She sighed and stood back up. "One of these days, we're moving out of this city."

April bit her lower lip and sighed softly. She hated it whenever her mother brought up that subject. She wasn't as anxious as Sasha to leave the city.

"Anyway, try to get some sleep," Sasha leaned down and gave her a daughter a kiss on the forehead.

"Night, Mom." As soon as the door was shut, April pulled the sai out from under her pillow and put on the nightstand next to the framed picture of her late father, Jack. He had short brown hair and a clean-shaven face, and his grey eyes were always full of kindness.

When she was thirteen, her father was killed while he was waiting for the next train in the subway. Witnesses and video surveillance confirmed that it was the Purple Dragons. Two of their thugs stabbed him in the chest and took his wallet, but all they got were $30 and a few family photos. They killed one of the most goodhearted people in the world for some stupid paper.

She kissed the tips of her index and middle finger and pressed them against the photo as she did every night before turning off the lamp.

...

Meanwhile, down below in the city's sewers, the vigilante in the trench coat walked down the dark tunnels and muttered angrily to himself, "Damn, how am I gonna explain this to him?"

The last tunnel led him to a huge room with a Japanese black pine tree in the center that nearly touched the curved ceiling. In one corner was a small kitchen, and in the other was an entertainment center with a couch and a few beanie bags. A balcony that surrounded the entire room led to even more rooms, one of which was the vigilante's own bedroom, and just as he was about to head up the stairs, one of the other doors suddenly creaked open.

A large humanoid Turtle wearing an orange mask over his eyes, a pair of orange joggers with a black belt, and tape around his forearms and hands stepped out of the room. One end of his mask was shorter than the other, his nose was covered in green freckles, and his eyes were as blue as the sky.

The Turtle walked to the railing of the balcony and grinned down at the vigilante, waving at him. The latter waved back and went up the stairs.

"Sensei's still asleep," the Turtle whispered as he pointed to the door all the way across to the other side of the room. "I won't tell," he made the zipper gesture.

The vigilante reached to the top of the stairs and patted the Turtle on the shoulder. "Thanks, Mikey," he whispered.

He walked on to his bedroom door and opened it. Inside was dark, of course, but as soon as he shut the door behind him and flipped the lights on, he jumped to see a brown humanoid rat in a red kimono sitting on the edge of his bed.

He sighed heavily and lowered his hat to hide his embarrassed face as much as he could. "Hello, Sensei," he mumbled.

The rat furrowed his brow and growled displeasingly. "You were expected to have returned hours ago, Raphael. What was the delay?"

Raphael, or Raph as he preferred to be called, took his hat off, revealing his Turtle face and red ninja mask. "I...I lost a sai, okay?" he confessed bitterly as he tossed the hat aside.

The rat's angry expression did not change. "And how exactly did you lose your sai?"

Raph awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "I, uh, dropped it. But I looked everywhere for it, Sensei. I'll look again tomorrow night and-"

"No," the rat sternly said. "You are grounded and will stay here until I say otherwise."

Raph's eye ridges raised in shock. "What?!" he yelled angrily. "Grounded?! Because I lost my sai?!"

His master stood up from the bed. "No. I specifically ordered you and your brothers to always stay out of trouble while you are on the surface." He then pulled out a phone and showed Raph footage of the aftermath of the pizza parlor robbery. "But tonight, you have disobeyed me."

Raph's face blanched. "Oh. W-Well...well what was I supposed to do, Sensei? Just sit back and let them rob the place? Somebody had to stop them."

"You could've been killed."

"No way! They were hardly a challenge for me!"

"Oh?" The rat walked up to the young Turtle and touched the bruise on the latter's cheek with his thumb. "Then explain how you got this."

The Turtle bit his lower lip and wished he would just disappear right there and then. "It's nothing. I just got careless for a second and-"

"You 'got careless'? You must _never_ be careless."

Raph pulled away from his touch. "Come on, Sensei, can't a guy make one mistake?"

"One mistake on the battlefield could cost you your life. Be thankful that your opponents tonight weren't shadow warriors."

"Right," Raph rolled his eyes. "Like we'll run into any ninjas in New York? We're probably the only ninjas in the world."

"In _this_ world, perhaps," the rat nodded. "But even so, we must always be cunning, careful, and focused. Our existence must be kept secret from humanity." He softened his tone as he gently touched Raph on the shoulder. "Try to understand my frustration and worry, Raphael. I swore to your father before he died that I would keep you all safe. That is why I have trained you four since you were children, to teach you how to defend yourselves and to defend each other. I could never live with myself if anything happened to any of you."

Raph sighed softly and bowed to his sensei. "Forgive me, Master Splinter."

Splinter smiled and patted his student on the head. "You are forgiven."

The Turtle smiled back as he lifted his head, then he frowned. "I'm still grounded, though, right?"

Splinter nodded. "Until tomorrow is over."

"Fine," Raph muttered as he took off his coat. "I'm going to bed."

"Sleep well, son," Splinter walk out of the room and closed the door behind him. One of his ears twitched at the sound of someone going through the fridge downstairs. "Michelangelo," he said loudly, "no midnight snacks!"

"Aww, man!" Mikey whined in the kitchen.

...

A street rat scurried through a tunnel in the sewers, looking for any crumbs of food left on the ground. It froze and lifted its head when it picked up the sound of metallic footsteps from behind. It turned its head and sniffed the air. The scent was strange, neither human nor animal.

From out of the darkness stepped a small robot about knee high with a large head, an armless body, sharp teeth, and a glowing red eye.

Sensing danger, the rat made a run for it. But the machine was much quicker and caught the creature with its massive jaws, killing it with one bite.


	2. Chapter 2

**NOTE: There will probably be grammar mistakes that I will fix later.**

_**New York**_

_**Present Day**_

"You're getting slower every day, Raph!"

"Grr! Shut up, Leo!"

"You move like a turtle, Donnie!"

"Why, thank you, Mikey. Heh heh."

In a dojo, four teenaged humanoid Turtles engaged in combat training. Two of them were Raph and Mikey, of course, and the other two were their brothers, Leonardo and Donatello, or Leo and Donnie for short. Leo wore a blue mask and a blue pair of joggers while Donnie wore purple. Mikey was the only one of the four who had blue eyes, while the others had light green ones.

Each Turtle had his own preferred weapon: Leo had his twin katanas, Raph his twin sai (though now he had only one), Mikey his nunchakus, and Donnie his Bo staff.

Leo was the first to hatch among his brothers sixteen years ago, so he was considered to be the eldest. He had the most level-headed discipline and was a ninjutsu prodigy who had a persevering dedication to his training. While he loved his younger brothers dearly, he often underestimated their skills and abilities and was overprotective of them.

Raph hatched right after him and became the second eldest. Physically, he was the strongest of the four, but he was also a hothead and the most rebellious. While he acted tough most of the time, he had soft spot for his baby brother, Mikey, who was also his best friend.

Donnie came into the world next, and he was a very bright child from the beginning. He was the team's scientist and mechanist, and devoted much of his time studying and inventing in his own private lab. Raph and Mikey often teased him for being such a nerd, yet they would change their attitude whenever they needed him to fix or invent something.

Mikey, the carefree goofball of the group, was the last to hatch. While he wasn't as disciplined as Leo or as smart as Donnie or even as tough as Raph, he was the quickest of the four and had a magnetic personality as well as an optimistic outlook on life.

_Klunk!_

"Ow!" Mikey cried out in pain after Donnie hit him on the head with the staff.

"You get distracted too easily, Mike," Donnie said with a grin. But then he was suddenly knocked off his feet after Mikey did a kick spin and fell on his shell.

Mikey chuckled. "It's called 'diversion', dude."

Meanwhile, Raph viciously swiped his sai at Leo, who dodged each attack with ease. "Hold still, you-!" he growled.

"The enemy won't 'hold still' for you, Raphie," Leo called his brother by the nickname he hated so much, which infuriated him even more. "Come on, you can do better than this."

"I'd do better if I had _both_ my sai!"

"Well, that's not _my_ fault, is it?"

From his sitting mat in a corner, Splinter watched as his students trained and noticed how frustrated Raph was quickly becoming.

With an angry yell, Raph threw his sai at Leo's head, but the other Turtle quickly ducked. The sai flew directly into Splinter's direction and Turtles all gasped in horror. Fortunately, the rat swiftly grabbed his wooden staff and blocked the sai with it. The weapon imbedded itself into the wood and Splinter pulled it out.

"Do you see now what happens when you lose control of your anger, Raphael?" he asked the second eldest, remaining where he sat.

Ashamed and embarrassed, Raph bowed to his sensei. "I'm sorry, Master."

"If you do not learn to channel it," Splinter continued, "you will unintentionally harm those around you instead of the enemy. But with discipline and management..." He threw the sai at the practice dummy and hit it right on the target that had been painted on its chest. "...you will hit your target."

Raph bowed again. "I understand, Sensei." He pulled his sai out of the dummy and resumed his training with his brothers, with Splinter watching on with in pride.

He wondered if his beloved Master Yoshi was watching as well.

* * *

_**In Another World**_

_**Twenty-four years ago...**_

The next morning, Splinter ventured the rest of the village that he had never seen before. Now that he was a guest in Yoshi's house, he had many more privileges than he did as a homeless street rodent, but regardless of his new social status, the villagers still looked at him with contempt and disgust as he walked past them. In their eyes, he was still a lowly rat.

His ears picked up the sounds of fighting and he followed them to a stone wall that surrounded a temple. He climbed up a tree and got a great view of the front yard, where Yoshi and Oroku Nagi engaged in combat. They wore nothing but hakama and moved with such speed and agility that amazed Splinter.

Watching them from the porch of the temple were a group of elderly mammals and reptiles, the High Council that ruled the Foot Clan. The badger who sat in the middle was the Jonin, Master Katashi.

At some point during the battle, Yoshi got the upper hand and kicked Nagi into a training post. He pinned his rival with one hand while raising the other in the form of a fist, preparing to deliver the final blow. But he paused, thinking that he had Nagi beat.

But Nagi suddenly knocked him down onto his shell with a sweep kick and with no hesitation kicked him in the plastron. From the tree, Splinter winced as Yoshi cried out in pain.

"Yame!" Katashi yelled. Nagi stepped away from Yoshi and knelt before the Council. Yoshi groaned as he slowly got up and sat down next to Nagi.

The badger looked at Yoshi with disapproving brown eyes. "You must never hesitate, Yoshi. On the battlefield, hesitation will destroy you. You will do well to remember that."

Yoshi sighed softly and bowed low to the ground. "Hai, Master Katashi."

Katashi then turned to Nagi. "You have done well, Nagi."

Nagi nodded and bowed as well. "Thank you, Master." After he and Yoshi lifted their heads, he looked at his rival and flashed him a smug grin. But it dropped when he saw a female Turtle step into the yard

She wore a dark blue kimono and had beautiful sky blue eyes, and her face seemed to glow as she smiled directly at Yoshi. Splinter's master smiled back as he stood up and walked to her. They exchanged a few words before they walked out of the yard together, and Nagi watched them with an angry face.

Splinter climbed back down from the tree, and as soon as his feet touched the ground, something hit him on the back of the head and caused him to fall on his face. He heard something bouncing off the ground a few feet away from him.

"Sorry!"

Splinter rubbed his head and looked up to see a ball in front of him. He heard footsteps from behind him and turned around.

A young Turtle in a purple kimono ran to him. He bent down to take Splinter's hand and helped him up. "That was my fault," he said with an embarrassed, apologetic smile. He looked to be around Splinter's age and had golden eyes. He also seemed familiar yet the two had never met before.

"It's alright," Splinter said as he picked up the ball and handed it to him. "What game are you playing?"

"Kemari ball," the Turtle replied as he lightly kicked the ball up and down with his foot. "Do you want to play?"

"Oh, I...I've never heard of that game," Splinter confessed. "I wouldn't know how to play."

"It's easy," the Turtle said with a grin. "You just keep the ball off the ground for as long as you can." He grabbed Splinter's arm and pulled him along as he ran. "Come on!"

...

They stood in the middle of a dirt court that had a pine tree in each corner, but there were no other players present.

"Where's everyone else?" Splinter asked.

"We're the only ones playing this game right now," the Turtle said. "Are you ready?"

Once Splinter nodded, the Turtle kicked the ball high into the air. The rat watched as it fell toward him and bounced it off his foot. The Turtle ran after the ball and kicked it back to him. Splinter tried to catch it before it hit the ground but he missed it by a few inches, and he groaned in frustration.

"That's okay," the Turtle laughed. "The game's not over yet. Just pick it and start all over."

Splinter picked up the ball and kicked it to his new friend, who bounced it off his foot. He became more determined to win the longer he played, and at one point he used his tail to deflect the ball and the Turtle ducked as it dashed over his head. The ball bounced off a stone wall with a loud slap.

"Hey, rat!" the Turtle yelled angrily. "Using your tail is against the rules!"

Splinter's ear flattened as he lowered his gaze in shame. "I-I'm sorry." He started to walk out of the court, thinking that the Turtle no longer wanted to play with him.

"Where are you going?" the Turtle called after him. "We've just started the game!"

He stopped and turned around. "You...you still want me to play with you?"

The Turtle grinned. "Of course! Just don't use your tail again."

The corners of Splinter's mouth slowly lifted into a smile. "Right," he nodded.

So the two boys continued to play Kemari ball up until sundown, having lost track of time since they had so much fun, more fun than Splinter ever had in his life. And for the first time in years since his mother's death, the young rat laughed as he kicked and chased after the ball.

The game stopped when Yoshi suddenly appeared, calling for Splinter. The younger Turtle noticed him and froze, letting the ball hit the ground.

"You know him?" he asked Splinter, his eyes glued to Yoshi.

Splinter turned around and smiled when he saw his master walking toward them. "Yes. I live in his house now."

The Turtle's brow furrowed. "I see," he said softly, then he started to walk away. "I have to go."

"W-Wait!" Splinter ran after him and touched his shoulder. "I never got your name!"

The Turtle stopped walking and glanced back at him with a grin. "I'm Saki."

"I'm Splinter. Can we...play again sometime?"

Saki took a moment to think about it, then he replied, "Maybe."

As Splinter watched Saki walk out of the court, Yoshi approached the young rat with a warm smile. "I see you've made a new friend. I'm glad." His smile dropped. "Though I'm afraid that Nagi will not be as enthusiastic."

Splinter looked up at his master confused. "Why not?"

Yoshi nodded in the direction where Saki went. "That boy is Nagi's younger brother, Oroku Saki."

* * *

_**New York **_

_**Present Day**_

A mouse followed the scent of the cheese throughout a large maze while the audience in the studio watched from their seats. Standing next to the maze was an African-American scientist named Baxter Stockman and his assistant Sasha O'Neil, who held a small robot with a large head, massive jaws, one glowing red eye, and an armless body.

"As you already know, ladies and gentlemen," Baxter spoke to the crowd, "our fine city has a major rodent problem, and it has gotten worse in the last decade. But thanks to the hard work and brillant minds of our scientists, and to your tax dollars..." The audience chuckled at his joke. "...we have finally found the solution to our problem. I present to you...the Mouser!"

Sasha held up the robot for all to see and the audience applauded.

Baxter continued the presentation. "This state-of-the-art exterminator is built with sensors that can detect a rat or mice a mile away, and its jaws are powerful enough to break their spine with one bite, a quick and humane end for our disease-ridden friends. You could say that they are smart-mousetraps. And they pose absolute no threat to humans. Their primary objective is to locate and exterminate rodents. Ms. O'Neil, if you'll please..."

As soon as Sasha set the Mouser down into the maze, the robot picked up the exact location of the mouse and chewed through the walls to get to the creature. The mouse squeaked as the Mouser appeared before it and tried to run away, but the poor thing wasn't quick enough and had its spine snapped in half by the machine.

The audience gasped, initially horrified, before they erupted into thunderous applause.

Baxter smiled at the praise he was receiving, but Sasha was disgusted by the mess that the Mouser had made. This was the part of the job that she hated the most.

...

After the crowd had left the studio, Sasha spent the next twenty minutes cleaning up the maze. Just as she finished up, Baxter walked onto the stage.

"Well, Ms. O'Neil, the audience seemed to be impressed with our creation, wouldn't you say?" he asked her.

"Yeah," Sasha mumbled as she disposed of a bloody paper towel.

Baxter laughed as he patted her on the back. "I'm telling you, the Mouser will increase our profits like no other invention has ever done before! We'll all be rich!"

"Well, as long as it pays for my daughter's college education, that's all I care about."

"Of course. How is Avery, by the way?"

Sasha rolled her eyes. Her boss always got her daughter's name wrong. Not that he cared. "It's April, and she's doing fine."

"You know, I've just realized that I never got meet her in all the years that you've worked for me. I'll tell you what, why don't you bring your daughter to work tomorrow and show her your latest work?"

"Oh, no, that's o-"

"Great! Bring Amy to the factory after school!" He gave her another pat on the back before he stepped off the stage and walked out of the studio.

Sasha sighed and shook her head. It was difficult working for someone as egoistical and obtuse as Baxter Stockman.

...

"Can I see it again?" Irma begged April as they walked out their school together. "Please?"

April sighed and pulled her phone out.

For the tenth time since the pizza parlor robbery, Irma looked at the video recording of their hero punching the gunman. "I can't believe you haven't uploaded this on the Internet yet! This is, like, major news! We have proof that shapeshifting reptilian men _do_ exist!"

April looked at her friend like she had grown two heads and chuckled. "You've been watching more conspiracy videos on YouTube, haven't you?" She took her phone back and put it in her pocket. "Look, this guy obviously didn't want any public attention, and we need to respect that. We owe him that much."

Irma sighed and nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right." She noticed something behind April and her brown eyes got big. "Omigod," she whispered as she tensed up and hugged her books close to her.

"What?" April turned around to see what her friend was looking at.

A Caucasian teenaged boy with short dark hair was getting on his black Ducati. He wore a black T-shirt, grey hoodie, torn jeans, and black fingerless gloves. He glanced up at the girl and gave them a quick nod and grin before he put on his helmet and drove off.

April turned back to Irma, whose cheeks were bright pink. She knew that her best friend had a crush on Casey Jones, another Senior at their school, but was always too shy to even talk to him. April thought that Casey was alright: he was an average student who never got a grade above a "C", and he always acted like a tough "bad boy", but he never got into any trouble and had more manners than the jocks.

Just then, April's phone started ringing and she looked at the caller-ID. It was her mother. She answered it and put it to her ear. "Hey, Mom."

_Hi, sweetie. Listen, I have to work late again._

"Again? Mom..."

_I know, honey. I'm sorry. There's some leftover rotisserie chicken in the fridge if you want some. I'll come back home as soon as I can._

"Okay. I love you."

_And I love you._

April sighed heavily as she hung up. She hated it when her Mom had to work the night shift. Sasha would come home as late as midnight and wake up the next morning still exhausted. That Stockman guy overworked her because he knew that she was desperate to provide for her daughter, which was hard for a widow to do on her own.

If only her Dad were here.

...

_**8:00 pm**_

"Now remember, boys," Splinter said to Leo, Donnie, and Mikey as they prepared to leave to the surface in their trench coats and fedora hats, "conceal your identities from the humans, stay out of trouble, and return to the sewers by 10:00. And should you run into any criminals while on the streets..."

"Let the police take care of them," the three said in unison.

From the couch, Raph pouted and crossed his arms. Since he was grounded for the night, he couldn't join his brothers on their trip to the outside world.

"Yeah, yeah, we got it, Sensei," Mikey said, then he grinned ear to ear as he held out his hands. "Can I have some pizza money now?"

"Geez, Mikey," Raph muttered. "Greedy much?"

Mikey heard him and started to mock him in baby voice, "Aww, is Waphie pouty 'cause he got 'gwounded'?"

Growling, Raph grabbed a throw pillow and threw it at his brother.

As Splinter gave Mikey a few dollar bills, Donnie stepped forward. "Sensei, if you don't mind, I'd like some money to buy a new router for my computer. My old one's just not picking up wi-fi like it used to."

"Very well, Donatello," Splinter said as he gave his genius student some cash. He then turned to Leo. "And do you require money as well, Leonardo?"

"No thanks, Sensei," Leo politely declined. "I'm good."

"What?" Mikey said in disbelief. "Dude, you're totally lying! What about that limited edition Bruce Lee figurine you've talking about all month? It comes out today, doesn't it?"

"Mikey...!" Leo whispered harshly to his brother, his cheeks red from embarrassed.

Splinter chuckled and touched his eldest student on the shoulder. "Leonardo, there is no need for you to feel embarrassed. If you truly want this figurine, then buy it."

Leo looked at his master surprised. "But it...it's expensive, Sensei. Besides, I don't really need it. We need to save our money for essentials. You said so yourself."

Mikey turned to Donnie and whispered, "There he goes again."

Donnie rolled his eyes. "Typical."

"I know, son," Splinter said to Leo, "but life is too short to not have a little fun every now and then. You all work hard enough as it is." He placed some dollar bills in Leo's hand. "You deserve it."

Leo smiled gratefully and bowed to Splinter. "Thank you, Sensei." He then turned to his brothers. "Let's go, gang." They all left the main room through the exit tunnel, leaving Raph alone with Splinter, who walked over to the couch and sat next to his student.

"Well, Raphael, since it is just you and me for the next couple of hours," the rat smiled at him, "we will watch the film _Perfume_ together."

Raph groaned as he threw his head back and rubbed his eyes. He absolutely hated that movie, but that was the point. It was Splinter's way of punishing him for his recklessness and disobedience. "Can't I do chores instead?" he begged.

"No," Splinter picked up the remote and turned on the T.V.

...

_**9:30 pm**_

There was no one else in the subway, and it was already half past nine. She should've turned around and taken the bus instead. But this was the quickest way home and she had a bull full of groceries, including ice cream, so against her better judgement, April waited for the next train.

There was graffiti all over the walls which included a purple Asian dragon, the trademark of the notorious Purple Dragons. In the last decade, so many people fell victim to the Dragons' nightly hunts, including April's father. The NYPD did all they could to halt their attacks and bring them to justice, but they were a well-organized group with several friends in high places who secretly provided them with funds as well as weapons.

April suddenly heard footsteps coming down the stairs and looked behind her, hoping that it was more civilians. Unfortunately, it wasn't.

She quickly looked away as three Purple Dragon members reached the bottom steps. She recognized them by their usual black clothing and ski masks with their trademark dragon patches on their left arms. They also wore an embroidered purple dragon on the back of their jackets. They casually chatted with each other when they noticed April standing there.

She tried to calm her racing heart and heaving breathing when she heard them approach her. She went stiff when one of them wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"Hey, sweet thing," he spoke to her behind his mask. "What are you doin' in the subway all alone and so late? You could get hurt...or worse."

The others chuckled darkly, which sent a chill up April's spine.

Without looking at any of them, she reached into her pocket and pulled out her wallet. "Take it and leave me alone," she said sternly, but her voice cracked with fear.

The one touching her took her wallet and looked through it. "Twenty bucks?" he scoffed. "What else you got?"

"That's all I have."

"What's in the bag?" another Purple Dragon demanded.

"My groceries."

They snatched the bag out of her and poured out its contents onto the floor. "She's telling the truth," a third Dragon confirmed.

April felt the first guy start to caress her arm. "Come on, babe, what else can you give us?"

Red flags went way, way up at moment and she pushed him away. She then pulled out the sai from under her coat and confronted them all. "S-Stay back!" she yelled, the sai trembling in her hands.

The Purple Dragons were initially shocked, then they all laughed at her. The first Dragon reached into his pocket and took out a switch blade. "Alright, sweet thing, you wanna play it rough?"

April was sure that she was going to die and her eyes brimmed with tears.

Just as they started to walk toward her, a male voice yelled out, "Yo, D-bags!" They all turned around to the exit in response.

Three guys in trench coats and fedora hats came down the steps with their hands in their pockets. April was shocked to see that their faces and feet were green, just like the trench coat vigilante from the other night. Were they related to him somehow?

The one in the middle stepped forward. "Leave the lady alone and walk away. We don't want to have to resort to violence."

The one to his left said, "In other words, get out or we'll kick your asses!"

"Man, you're threatening _us_?" the first Dragon said incredulously.

"You fools even know who we are?" the second Dragon asked.

"We're the Purple Dragons!" the third Dragon said as he pointed to the patch on his arm. "The rulers of New York!"

The vigilante on the right said, "We've heard of you guys, but we're not afraid of you."

"Well, you _should_ be," the first Dragon said as the other two pulled their own switch blades. "Waste 'em!"

April watched as the Purple Dragons charged straight at the vigilantes, who just stood there. They showed absolutely no fear.

The one in the middle ducked just as the first Dragon stabbed at him and grabbed his arm. With one twist, he broke the thug's arm, and April winced when she heard the bones crack and the man screaming in pain and agony.

The one on the right pulled out what appeared to be a taser and aimed it at the second Dragon. When he pressed a button, purple electricity shot out and zapped the criminal, who fell to the floor twitching and smoking.

The one on the left kicked the third Dragon in the nuts, and the latter went into fetal position and held his crotch as he made a high-pitched whine. "Hope you weren't planning on having kids, dude," the vigilante joked.

The Dragon with the broken arm backed away from the trio, breathing heavily. "The...The Purple Dragons won't forget this!" he yelled as he ran up the stairs. His comrades remained lying on the floor, moaning and groaning.

The left vigilante turned to his friends. "Bros, did we just _save_ someone?"

"I know, right?" the right vigilante nodded. "It feels...great. But Sensei will be furious with us."

"We did what we had to," the middle vigilante said. "Besides, Sensei doesn't need to know about this."

"Yeah," the left vigilante said. "I won't tell him if you guys won't."

As they continued to converse with each other, April snuck up behind them and reached for the left vigilante's hat. She just had to see what her heroes really looked like.

"Besides," the left vigilante shrugged, "none of them saw us without our disguises." He squeaked when he felt his hat being pulled off his head.

April's jaw dropped and her eyes widened at the reveal. No hair, no ears, a reptilian beak instead of a human nose, and green scaly skin.

Mikey slowly turned around and grinned nervously at the girl. "Um, hi," he said with a nervous chuckle as he waved at her with his three digit hand.

Irma was right: shapeshifting reptilian men _were_ real.

April's eyes rolled into the back of her head as she passed out.

...

"Ugh," Raph groaned as he leaned back into the couch. "Someone please put me out of my misery."

Splinter, on the other hand, was becoming emotional, his ears flat and his nose sniffling as a blind man on the T.V. was smelling a woman's hair.

_You know_, the man whispered to her, _I didn't think it was possible, but since I lost my sight, your smell is even sweeter than it ever was before. _

_But...I'm not wearing the perfume, _the woman said.

_I know, _he kissed her shoulder.

The rat choked back a sob and wiped the tears away with a tissue.

"Oh, please," Raph muttered as he got up from the couch and walked away. "I'm taking a bathroom break...to barf."

Splinter's tear-filled eyes were glued to the T.V. and he reached to grab another piece of tissue paper when his ears twitched and he picked up a strange scent. He moved his hand away just as a Mouser appeared out of nowhere and clamped its jaws down on the tissue box.

The rat jumped off the couch as the robot tore the box up. He had never seen a strange creature before, but whatever it was, it was clearly dangerous.

The Mouser stopped chewing on the box and looked directly at Splinter with its one red eye. It opened its mouth and let out a mechanical screech right before it leapt at him, but Splinter kicked it away and ran to the kitchen. The robot quickly got back on its feet and sprinted after him.

Grabbing a kitchen knife from the counter, Splinter threw it at the Mouser just as it leapt at him again. The blade went right through the robot's small body and it fell to the floor, twitching and sparking.

Sensing that he was no longer in danger, Splinter let out a sigh of relief and leaned against the counter.

"Sensei?" Raph walked into the room while drying his hands with a paper towel. "I heard some strange noises. Is everything...?" He froze when he saw the damaged Mouser on the floor. "What the heck is _that_?"

"I don't know," Splinter said as he looked down at it. "But whatever it was, it intended to harm me."

"Wait, you mean it _attacked_ you? But why would-?"

"Hey, Raph! Master Splinter!" Mikey's voice echoed in the tunnel and he stepped out into the room with his right hand behind him and April's tub of ice cream under his left arm. "We're back! And uh, we've got good news and bad news."

"Oh, great," Raph groaned as he facepalmed. "What'd you do _this_ time, Mike?"

"Good news first. The good news is..." Mikey revealed the lost sai in his hand. "...we found your sai, Raph."

Raph's face instantly brightened up and he ran to his brother. "Holy crap! Thanks, bro!" He gave Mikey a big hug and took the sai back, inspecting it. "Still in good shape."

"What is the bad news, Michelangeo?" Splinter asked his youngest student.

Mikey inhaled sharply and awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck as he turned to the tunnel. "Uh..."

At that very moment, Leo and Donnie stepped out of the tunnel carrying an unconscious April.

"We also found _her_," Mikey confessed with a sheepish grin.


	3. Chapter 3

**NOTE: There will probably be grammar mistakes that I will fix later. **

_**New York**_

_**Present Day**_

From inside her large tank, a Komodo dragon eyeballed a mouse that was being taken out of a box.

A muscular Caucasian man wearing a black leather jacket with an embroidered dragon on the back, black military boots, and blonde highlights in his spiky black hair dangled the mouse by its tail over the tank.

He smiled down at his beloved pet Komodo. "Is my baby girl hungry for some mice?" he cooed. "Are ya?" He turned to Baxter Stockman, who sat at a desk. "So I take it that your invention was a success, Mr. Stockman?"

Baxter cleared his throat and straightened his tie. "Well, Mr. Hun, I haven't sold them to the public yet, but my marketing staff has projected some really good profit-"

"Excellent," Hun said. "Then you should be able to pay for next month's protection by this Saturday."

"Of-Of course, Mr. Hun," Baxter chuckled nervously. "You know me. I _never_ miss a payment."

"Of course you don't," Hun chuckled darkly as he lowered the mouse into the tank. "'Cause you know what happens to those who _can't_ afford my protection." He dropped the mouse and the Komodo caught it in her mouth, gobbling it up.

Baxter gulped in fear and nodded. "Precisely, and that's why _you're_ the King of New York."

"Got that right," Hun walked over to his desk and sat down across from Baxter. "But, unfortunately, the prince wants nothing to do with this empire." He sighed and he leaned back in his chair. "But he's still only a teenager. When he's old enough, he'll come to see that-"

The intercom on his desk suddenly beeped and he pressed the button to answer it. "What is it?" he gruffly asked.

_Sir, Blake's come back_, a male voice spoke to him, _and he has a broken arm. Somebody jumped him and his pals._

Hun's eyes widened. "'Jumped'? Alright, send him in." He pointed his finger at Baxter. "And _you_ are dismissed."

Baxter wasted no time in getting out of his chair and running to the door. "I'll have the money for you by Saturday, Mr. Hun!" he said as he hurried out of the office.

About a minute later, the Purple Dragon who had his arm broken by Leo earlier staggered in while clutching his limp limb. "M-Mr. Hun, s-s-sir," he stammered. "I-"

Hun held up a hand to silence him, but he spoke in a calm voice, "Son, relax. You're not in any trouble. These things happen." He motioned for the boy to sit down, which he did. "Just tell me who did this to you."

The boy took a deep breath. "Well, they were wearing these...these trench coats and these...fedora hats or something. But they had these really freaky hands, green and only three fingers and-and scaly like a lizard's. I...I don't think they were even human, sir."

"Hmmm," Hun tapped his fingers on the desk as he tried to comprehend all of this. "And you don't know which gang they were affiliated with?"

"No, sir."

"It doesn't matter. Whoever these bubs were, we'll teach 'em the next time they show their ugly mugs in town."

...

Mikey's face was covered in strawberry ice cream as he quickly devoured it before it would melt. He found it among the groceries that April had dropped back in the subway and couldn't let it go to waste. He turned to Donnie, who sat at the kitchen table taking apart the Mouser and studying its components. "Want some, Don?" he asked his brother.

Donnie looked at him disgusted. "No thanks. I just lost my appetite."

Meanwhile, Splinter was busy chewing Leo out while Raph looked on in satisfaction. It wasn't very often that the Golden Boy would get into trouble.

"How did this happen, Leonardo?!" the rat demanded.

Leo kept his head bowed the entire time he was being scolded. "Master, forgive me, but we had to save this girl from those Purple Dragons. If we hadn't moved in when we did..." He shivered at the thought. "...it would've been too late for her."

Splinter closed his eyes and sighed as he rubbed his temples. "I understand, son. But even so, why did you bring her here instead of dropping her off at a hospital?"

"The hospital was too far way, and well...we panicked."

Splinter growled softly and shook his head in disapproval. "Indeed."

Raph looked back at the couch where April lay, and she was still unconscious. He slowly and quietly approached her and knelt down to her level to get a good look at her face. His eyes went wide when he realized that this was the same girl he rescued back at the pizza parlor. She had kept his sai with her the entire time.

In all his years of living in New York (which was his whole life, actually), he had never seen a girl as beautiful as this one. Being very careful not to wake her, he lightly touched her cheek with his fingertips. Her skin was so smooth and so soft, absolutely perfect. Her red hair was gorgeous and shined under the ceiling lights. And her small lips...

Without realizing what he was doing, he leaned in to kiss her...

...just as her eyes fluttered open. They became as big as saucers when she saw his face inches from hers.

She screamed at the top of her lungs and kicked him in the plastron. He grunted in pain and fell onto his shell.

Everyone else whipped their heads around at the scream and a startled Mikey almost dropped the tub of ice cream.

As April hid behind the couch hyperventilating, Raph stood back up and tried to calm her down. "Hey, hey, it's okay. We're-We're the good guys."

"Who are you?!" April yelled, her eyes wide with fear. "_What_ are you?!"

"There is nothing to fear, young lady," Splinter cautiously approached her. "We mean you no-"

"AAAHHHHH!" April screamed again at the sight of Splinter and ran to the black pine tree. Using the survival skills that she learned at summer camp, she climbed to the lowest branch, which was still pretty high, and latched onto it. "You-You-You all stay away from me!" she shouted to the Turtles below.

Mikey looked up at the tree and chuckled. "So is she a human or a cat?"

"This isn't the time for jokes, Mikey," Leo scolded him, then he said loudly to April, "Miss, please come down! We won't hurt you!"

April shook her head. "No way! You're not eating _my_ flesh! Not today!"

The brothers looked at each other for a moment before they all burst into laughter. April looked down at them confused.

"Eat you?!" Mikey laughed. "No way! I only eat pizza! And ice cream!" He held up the empty tub for April to see. "By the way, I hope you don't mind, but I helped myself to your ice cream before it melted!"

"Although meat is part of our daily diet," Donnie spoke up, "I assure you that that doesn't include _human_ meat."

"Ma'am, you might not remember, but we saved you from the Purple Dragons," Leo reminded her.

April blinked and suddenly remembered that they indeed saved her life in the subway.

A bashful Raph stepped closer to the tree and rubbed the back of his neck. "Um, Miss? I just, uh, wanted to thank you for holding onto my sai. It means a lot to me."

"Your...?" She let out a soft gasp as she looked at him. Those red joggers, the lost sai, those green eyes. It was _him_.

He lifted his arms and gestured for her to come down. "Come on. I'll catch you."

She finally knew that she could trust these strangers. After all, they saved her life, twice. She jumped off the branch and right into Raph's arms, and though the Turtle stumbled once he caught her, he quickly regained his balance and held her.

They stared at each for a moment in awkward silence, before Raph cleared his throat and smiled shyly at her. "Um, hi."

April didn't smile back. "Hi," she said uneasily. "Um, could you put me down now?"

"Huh? Oh! Oh, sorry!" He mentally slapped himself as he put her down. He had just met a girl and he was already embrassing himself.

Mikey stood close to April, too close for her own comforf, and he smiled real big, his face still covered with ice cream. "Hi! My name is Michelangelo, or Mikey for short!" He took her hand and eagerly shook her hand, his speech starting to speed up as a sugar rush began to take over. "Hey guess what? You're the first human I've ever shaken hands with! I think it's really cool that we're shaking hands! I've never dreamt of shaking hands with a real-!"

"Mikey!" Donnie grabbed his shoulders and pulled him away from her. "Geez, take a breather. You're making this really weird for her." He shook hands with April and smiled politely at her. "Hello, my name is Donatello, but you can call me Donnie." He then pulled out a pair of tweezers. "Would you mind if I took a hair sample?"

"What?" April pulled away from him, feeling very disturbed.

"From where?" Mikey joked then giggled madly.

Raph looked at him unamused. "Mikey, grow up."

"Forgive Donnie," Leo said to April. "He lacks social skills because he doesn't come out his lab much." He bowed to the girl in respect. "My name is Leonardo, or if you prefer, you can call me Leo instead."

Mikey pulled Raph close and pointed to him. "And you've already met Raph!" he told April.

Raph chuckled nervously as he looked at her. "That's my nickname. I'm Raphael."

"All the best ones end in 'O'!" Mikey laughed, earning a slap on the back of the head from his older brother.

Splinter walked up to the group and the Turtles immediately dispersed, bowing their heads to their master. "And I am Splinter, their teacher and adoptive father," he said as he bowed to her.

April looked around at these strange creatures. Was this really happening? "Um...I-I'm April. April O'Neil. Nice to meet you all."

The rat smiled warmly at her. "I can see that this is all so very strange to you and that you have many questions."

April nodded. "At least one question, that's for sure."

Splinter turned to his students. "Boys, you may return to your rooms."

"Hai, Sensei," Leo said as he bowed to him again, then he went upstairs with his brothers following close behind. Raph was the last to leave and he stopped for a brief moment to look back at April. He smiled at her and gave her a goodbye nod before he proceeded up to his room.

"Come," Splinter walked with her to the kitchen table. "Sit, and I will explain everything to you."

April sat down in a chair and saw the disassembled Mouser on the table. She could see some blood on its jaws and shivered.

Splinter placed a small cup in front of her and poured her some warm tea. "Drink this. It is a herbal tea from my homeworld. It will sooth your nerves."

She hesitantly took the cup and placed it to her lips, taking in the liquid. It actually tasted pretty good. "Hmmm, this is...wait. Did you say 'homeworld'?"

Splinter nodded as he sat down next to her. "I did."

"So are you guys, like, aliens or something?"

"We are foreigners, yes. But we are not from the stars. We are from what you would call 'an alternate dimension'."

April chuckled in disbelief. "An alternate dimension? Are you serious?"

"I was born in a world where animals, not humans, were the dominant species of the planet. In fact, humans did not even exist. I was the servant and student of a great shadow warrior in Japan named Hamato Yoshi, the father of the Turtles. They were only eggs when my Master Yoshi was killed by a powerful and dangerous assassin, so in desperation, I fled with them to this strange new world sixteen years ago. Although we were safe from the assassin's wrath, I knew that we would not be accepted by mankind, so I made the sewers my new home and raised the Turtles in secrecy, training them in the ninja arts so that they could fight and defend themselves against any enemy."

"Hold on, if you really are Japanese, then how come you gave them Italian names?" April asked him. "If you don't mind me asking."

Splinter smiled. "Well, as I studied human history and culture, I came across a book on the Italian Renaissance and became fascinated with the art from that era. I decided to name each of them after my favorite Renaissance artists: Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo."

"I see," April said softly as she looked down at her reflection in the tea, still trying to process all of this. "But...how did you get here in the first place? Who brought you here?"

Splinter hummed quietly and shook his head. "I'm afraid that is a piece of information that must be kept secret. I made a promise to some dear friends years ago that I would never reveal their existence to the inhabitants of this or any other world."

"Okay, I can respect that. But what I really want to know is, what happens to me now that I know about you guys? You're not gonna..." She gulped nervously. "...kill me, are you?"

He gently placed his hairy hand over hers. "Of course not, child. As I have said before, we have no intention on harming you. That is not our way. And I can tell that you are a reasonable person with a good soul, so I will trust that you will not reveal us to the other humans."

"No, of course not," she said with a grin. "After what you guys did for me? No way."

Splinter smiled gratefully. "I thank you. Until now, we have never had a human friend. It would do the boys good if they had someone from the outside world to socialize with. That is, if you wouldn't mind paying us a visit every once and in a while?"

April shrugged. "I don't see why not." Then she let out a big yawn.

"You are tired," Splinter chuckled.

"Very," she mumbled tiredly.

"I will have Raphael escort you home. You mustn't go out alone this late."

"I couldn't agree more."

Unbeknownst to them both (or maybe to just April since Splinter had a keen sense of hearing and smell), Raphael had been listening in on their conversation from up on the balcony, and when he heard that he would be the one to walk April home, he pumped his fist in the air and mouthed an excited, "Yes!"

...

He carried her on his shell as he jumped from one rooftop to the next, and his heart pounded the entire time she had her arms around his neck. He could feel her softly breathing on his skin and her heart beating against his shell, which made it harder for him to focus on the path before him.

They eventually arrived at her apartment and snuck into her room on the sixth floor through her balcony. April slowly slid the door open and peeked into the living room. It was still dark and her mother was nowhere in sight, which meant that she was either in bed or still at work.

She sighed softly in relief and turned to Raph. "Thanks for taking me home."

He grinned and crossed his arms. "Hey, no problem. You get a good night's sleep, kay?" Just as he was about to leave, she grabbed his arm.

"Wait, you got a cellphone or something?" she asked him.

The question threw him off. "A-A what? A cellphone? No, but, uh..." He reached into the pocket of his joggers and pulled out a small device with a green turtle shell on the back. "We have these communicators. Here, you can have this one," he said as he gave it to her. "See the red button? That's the one to contact me, you know, in case you're in trouble. The blue one is for Leo, purple is for Donnie and-"

"Lemme guess," April grinned, "orange is for Mikey."

Raph chuckled. "Yeah. Always keep that with you, and don't hesitate to call if you ever need us again. You...will come see us again, right?"

She nodded. "Definitely. Thanks again for everything." She yawned again and stepped into the living room. "Night," she said before she slid the door shut.

"Night," he said softly and watched as she pulled the curtain over the glass door. He then climbed to the rooftop and shouted to the moon in joy, "WHOO-HOO!"

A pretty girl had asked for _his_ number.

* * *

_**In Another World**_

_**Twenty-four Years Ago**_

"Splinter, this is Tang Shen," Yoshi introduced the female Turtle from earlier to the young rat. "She is a dear friend of mine."

Shen smiled kindly at Splinter as she knelt down to his level. "Hello, Splinter. It is nice to meet you."

Splinter blushed, mesmerized by her beauty, and bowed to her. "It-It an honor to meet you." He felt her pat him on the head and heard her giggle.

"Such manners for one so young," she complimented. "I see why Yoshi has taken a liking to you."

Another male voice suddenly spoke up. "I wouldn't touch him, Shen." They all turned and saw Nagi approaching them. The Turtle sneered down at Splinter, causing him to back away in fear. "Homeless rodents like him carry all sorts of diseases."

Splinter lowered his gaze to the ground ashamed.

A greatly angered Yoshi stepped forward. "He is _not_ homeless," he snapped. "And he is _not_ disease-ridden. I will not tolerate you speaking of my friend in such a manner, Nagi."

Nagi merely scoffed at him before he turned his attention back to Shen with a smile. "Shen, as you already know, tomorrow is my grandfather's birthday and my father is holding a grand feast. I would like for you to join us." He took her hand and tenderly held it. "Please say you will."

Yoshi glared at his rival, his hands tightening into trembling fist. Nagi knew that Yoshi had strong feelings for Shen; in fact, they both did. They competed in nearly all things, but none so fiercely than for Shen's heart.

Shen, however, did not return Nagi's feelings. Her heart had always belonged to Yoshi, who was much kinder and more honorable than Nagi ever was. She felt uneasy whenever he touched her, so she gently pulled her hand away. "I will come if Yoshi and Splinter are permitted to," she said as she turned to said Turtle and rat.

Nagi's eye widened in shock before he narrowed them in aggravation, but he quickly calmed himself and released a sigh of resignation. "Very well, Shen, if that is what you wish." He then walked away from the group, glaring hatefully at Yoshi as he did so.

But an unfazed Yoshi grinned triumphantly. Another victory for him.

...

The next day, in the backyard of the Oroku family temple, a great crowd had gathered to celebrate Oroku Ikari's 92nd birthday. There was a great table of food, mostly sushi, as well as a comical play, a kyogen. Ikari, himself, sat on a bench and told the children, including Splinter, stories of his adventures as a shadow warrior.

Yoshi, Shen, and Nagi watched the kyogen together, with Shen sitting in between the two rivals. Nagi would glance at her lustfully every once in a while, his urge to touch her getting stronger by the moment. But Yoshi sensed every glance and would shoot him a warning glare. Nagi knew better than to start a fight in front of his guests, so he caved in and turned his attention back to the play.

"So there we were," Ikari continued to tell his story to the children, "completely surrounded by Lord Toshi's soldiers, their blades pointing at us from all directions. They told us that if we wanted to die honorably instead of being executed like common criminals, we were to commit harakiri right where we stood. So my friends got down on their knees and prepared to die, but I remained standing and faced the enemy."

Splinter listened to Ikari's amazing story with eyes full of wonder, eager to hear what happened next, when he felt someone tap him on the shoulder. He turned around and looked up to see Saki standing over him.

The young Turtle grinned at him. "I remember you, from yesterday."

A pleasantly surprised Splinter smiled widely and stood up. "I was hoping you'd be here tonight."

Saki grabbed him by the arm and started to pull him toward the temple. "Come with me. I'll show you around."

"Oh, but," Splinter looked back at Ikari, "I want to hear how Ikari-san's story ends."

"I'll tell you how it ends. I hear it all the time."

"You do?"

Saki laughed. "Well, of course! He's my grandfather!"

"Oh," Splinter grinned sheepishly. "Right."

...

For the next hour, Saki gave Splinter a full tour of the Oroku temple, showing him every artifact and suit of armor that had been passed down from generation to generation. He expressed his pride in his heritage and told Splinter the history behind each heirloom.

"I must confess," Splinter said as they stepped into a large room full of weapons, "I was surprised to learn that you are Oroku Nagi's brother."

Saki's brow furrowed and he frowned. "It's true. He is my brother, but sometimes I wish he weren't."

"What do you mean?"

"Nagi is both respected and feared by everyone in the village, and he severely punishes those who so much as look at him or any member in the Oroku family wrong." He lowered his gaze to the wooden floor. "That's why I have no friends," he mumbled somberly. "They are afraid of my brother, and therefore they are afraid of me."

Splinter then realized why Saki asked him to play Kemari with him the other day: he was lonely and would go so far as to befriend a street rodent that everyone else hated. He felt a great deal of pity for the young Turtle. "But you're nothing like your brother."

Saki glanced up at him and chuckled bitterly. "How do you know I'm not?"

The rat smiled warmly at him. "I just do. I'm just sorry that no one else does."

There was suprise and then gratefulness in Saki's golden eyes before he cleared his throat and led Splinter to a closet that had a terrifying dragon carved on each door. "This is the crowned jewel of the Oroku family." He opened the doors and revealed what was inside.

A samurai suit of armor stared down at Splinter with a terrifying dragonesque menpo, nearly making jump out of his skin.

Saki smiled proudly at the armor. "My great-great grandfather, Oroku Isao, wore this armor as he bravely faced the Claw Clan on the battlefield alone. There were about a hundred soldiers, and he took down over half of them on his own. He was close to death when the recruits finally arrived, but if it weren't for him, the Foot Clan would've fallen to the Claws years ago. His story is legend all across Japan. Because of his terrifying power and strength, they called him 'The Shredder'."

Splinter gulped nervously. "The...Shredder?"

Saki chuckled as he nodded. "Amazing, right? As Isao's descendants, we strive to become the strongest warriors in the Foot Clan, in Japan, and even all the world. My grandfather says that his spirit lives on in each of us."

A loud thumping sound made them both jump and Saki instantly grabbed Splinter's arm. "Come on!" he whispered as he suddenly dragged the rat with him into the closet and closed the doors, leaving a small crack to look through.

Nagi stepped into the room and looked around. "Saki!" he yelled. "I know you're in here! Father wants you to come back to the party!"

Splinter's heart was now pounding out of fear. Nagi would surely punish him for being in his house, but Saki wouldn't let that happen...right? He glanced over at Saki and could barely see the younger Turtle's face in the dark. He was apparently thinking the same thing and put his finger to his lips.

_"Saki!"_ Nagi bellowed.

In a matter of seconds, Saki jumped out of the closet and shut the doors behind him before Nagi could spot Splinter. "I'm here!"

Nagi glared down at his little brother disapprovingly. "You're not supposed to be playing in this room."

"I wasn't playing!"

"What were you doing, then?"

"Practicing."

"For what?"

"My hiding skills, for when I become a shadow warrior. You've always said I needed to train more and play less, right, Brother?"

Splinter held his breath, praying that Nagi would believe Saki's lie.

Fortunately, Nagi did believe him and huffed as he crossed his arms. "Well, you know how much Grandfather Isao's armor means to our family. You could've damaged it, so improve your abilities elsewhere."

Saki nodded while Splinter closed his eyes in relief.

"Come," Nagi walked to the door. "Father is expecting us."

"I'll be right there," Saki said. Once Nagi was gone, he peeked into the closet and whispered to Splinter, "You can sneak out of the temple through the koi garden. You remember where that is, right?"

"Yes," Splinter smiled gratefully at him. "Thank you, Saki."

Saki grinned back. "No, _I_ should be the one thanking _you_."

Splinter tilted his head. "For what?"

"For being my first friend."


End file.
